Hey folks, I have the WoodWorker Pro with the Z-20 slider and Redline Spindle Kit.
Also, I have the ‘hermes’ dust collection boot which is super great for shorter pieces - I love it and would recommend it. The problem I’m having is with taller pieces. For example, when I cut out some bowls, the pocket in the bowl might be 2.5-3” deep. I have to set the dust boot on the top of the stock -but the spindle mount will hit the plastic boot when trying to go that deep - so I have to go without. I could adjust where the spindle is mounted, but I need it pretty much where it is for the bits to reach. So I go without the dust boot - which makes a mess - and i’m concerned about the long term effects of all that dust in the cabinet with an air-cooled spindle. I’m just wondering what other folks do - and any thoughts or recommendations?
Thanks so much,
I’ve had a few different machines and always ended up making my own dust boots. Depending on the tooling length or even the tooling diameter, differently sized dust boots or different length brushes come in handy.
If your worried about all the dust from going boot free, just clean up when the cut is finished and oil regularly, the parts that need it. These machines are made to get dusty.
It sounds like your dust boot is a fixed position one. That means the gap between the top of your dust boot and the bottom of the spindle mount needs to be at least your depth of cut plus your safe Z height. When you’re carving taller (deeper) pieces, you might want to switch to a spindle mounted boot.
Might have to try a different dust collector for the deeper parts. I have the same issue as you….sorta….when I run thick parts I have to use the suckit dust boot. It does better then nothing at all.
Thanks for the vid and the comments. I might need a z dust boot. But i still have the same conern w a z dust boot. If I’m carving a scooped bowl that has a 3.5” diameter on top, the dust boot wont fit in the pocket. In these cases, do folks just notmally go w/o a dust boot and use the shop vac? Trying to set my expectations w a new dust boot.
You and Jeff bring up a good point. I’ve never used one, but you can try a collet extension.
Create one toolpath to carve down to the depth just before the spindle hits the dust boot, then use the extender to make the bit longer. Your second toolpath should start at the depth of where the first one finished, and then only carve down the remaining depth needed. (Don’t forget to re-zero Z.)
For me personally, this would be too much work. I would just go with Jeff’s approach of using a shop vac to periodically vacuum the chips while carving, and then do a final cleanup at the end.
Here are a couple of links to extenders I found. Good luck!
